Managing RiskFeedback

Risk management may be defined as evaluating alternative actions and selecting among them. This entails consideration of political, social, economic, and engineering factors with risk-related information to develop, analyze, and compare regulatory options and to select the appropriate regulatory response to a potential health hazard. The selection process requires the use of value judgments on such issues as the acceptability of risk and the reasonableness of the costs of control. Communicating risk to the affected community can be essential. Issues of environmental justice should be considered to mitigate the concerns community members may raise if they perceive their community is not receiving the same level of cleanup and environmental protection as others.

The risk management process begins when a potential risk (human or ecological) is identified and authorities decide or are mandated to respond. It involves an evaluation of risk, as well as a series of other scientific and technical evaluations to provide the data or information for making and implementing risk management decisions. The risk management process ends when the selected risk management option(s) is (are) implemented and the resulting environmental or public health improvements are monitored. The following subsections discuss Risk-Based Corrective Action, Remediation/Cleanup, including Contamination Removal and Innovative Approaches, and Long-Term Stewardship.